Joseph Morgan is the proverbial big fish in the small
pond of Overton, Colorado. He has power and he wants more. His youngest son is
police chief by Joseph’s decree and now Jack is running for county
commissioner. Vegetarian rancher, Frank Jarret is running against him. Chief
Jack Morgan receives an order from his father to discredit Frank shortly before
the election. Frank is in Durango on business when Jack Morgan takes several
deputies to Frank’s Lazy J ranch with the intention of planting two kilos of
cocaine there. Instead, Jack claims that Emily Jarret produced a gun and he
began firing. This excites the deputies to open fire as well. When the smoke
clears, Emily and daughter, Katy, are dead. Two years later, Jack Morgan, in
hiding under an alias, is found dead in his rare book store. Two of the
deputies involved are found dead, Frank Jarret has vanished and the new police
chief, Marcia Williams, must find the killer.
The Seventh Stage is a brilliantly executed crime
story. The pace develops the suspense in a highly polished way. All characters
are artfully fleshed and the scene shifts elevate the tension. Mr. Nichols’
prose flows smoothly as does his dialogue. A skillful eye renders the settings
so that the stark beauty of southwestern Colorado is alive on the pages. The
reader will not guess the outcome as the lady police chief traces her leads.
This reader strongly recommends The Seventh Stage.
The Seventh Stage is currently unavailable at Amazon. I got my copy from the author. When it becomes available, it's a must read.
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